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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. club — for golf
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bound — certain
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fall — the season
  18. root — of a word
  19. row — a line
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — a group
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. root — the cause
  24. row — to paddle

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