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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. band — a music group
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a ring
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cold — an illness
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bound — certain

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