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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. chest — a box
  3. current — happening now
  4. band — a music group
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bound — certain
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. current — of water
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. band — a ring
  22. chair — a leader
  23. current — electric
  24. chest — of your body

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