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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. swing — music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cold — an illness
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bank — for money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — of a river
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — certain
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lean — thin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bound — tied together

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