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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. season — in sport
  3. present — there
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. present — the time now
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chest — of your body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — certain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — shares
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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