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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — obliged
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — certain
  14. stand — to bear
  15. roll — a list
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — a line

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