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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chest — a box
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tube — a container
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. track — a song
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. track — a path
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bat — the animal

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