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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — an illness
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — a tin
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. charge — electricity
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — a box
  14. charge — in control
  15. season — of the year
  16. cold — not warm
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — a line
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — the Cold War

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