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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bound — tied together
  4. swing — to play on
  5. chest — a box
  6. board — to get on
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. swing — music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — in golf
  20. band — a music group
  21. board — a committee
  22. chair — a leader
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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