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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bound — certain
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — tied together
  10. race — humankind
  11. chest — a box
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bound — obliged
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — final
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a line
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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