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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tube — a container
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chest — a box

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