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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lean — to bend
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lean — thin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. track — a path
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — certain
  21. perch — the fish
  22. chest — a box
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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