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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. hand — in cards
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — help
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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