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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chest — a box
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stand — to bear
  7. sharp — clever
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chest — of your body
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bound — certain
  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