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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bound — tied together
  3. net — after costs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — certain
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rule — a law
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. rule — government
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chest — a box
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bound — obliged

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