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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — certain
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — a box
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — a match
  14. chest — of your body
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bound — tied together
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. suit — clothes

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