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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — certain
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bound — tied together
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — help
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. foot — a measure
  24. scale — in music

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