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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — finally
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pop — soda
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kick — in football
  8. suit — in cards
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pop — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. suit — clothes
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — final
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kick — a thrill

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