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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bound — obliged
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. chest — a box
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chip — for betting
  19. last — final
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bound — tied together

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