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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. charge — a price
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — tied together
  15. charge — electricity
  16. squash — to crush
  17. charge — in control
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bound — obliged
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bound — certain

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