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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. track — to keep track
  3. present — there
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — magic
  7. snap — to click
  8. present — a gift
  9. spell — letters
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. track — a path
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. track — a song
  14. bound — certain
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — the time now
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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