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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. cell — a phone
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. ball — a great time
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chair — a leader
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bound — certain
  24. pop — to visit

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