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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — an amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. spring — of water
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. degree — temperature
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a skill
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chest — a box

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