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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ball — a great time
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bound — certain
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rash — a series
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. club — for golf
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wake — before a funeral

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