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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. craft — a skill
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chest — a box
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pit — a hole
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bound — certain
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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