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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bound — certain
  3. can — a tin
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — tied together
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. craft — boats
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pit — in a race
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com