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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pit — a hole
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bound — certain
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pound — a weight
  18. swing — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — a box
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. leaves — lets stay

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