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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. tube — the underground
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — an aim
  11. pit — a hole
  12. object — to protest
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — all right
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tube — a container
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — a thing
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wound — an injury

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