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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bound — certain
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chair — a leader
  6. lean — thin
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — obliged
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — all right
  14. craft — boats
  15. face — to confront
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — child
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — to tease

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