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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. saw — the tool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chest — a box
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — all right
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mate — to breed
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bound — certain
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — of a plant

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