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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bound — obliged
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. bound — tied together
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — to bear

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