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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. file — a document
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — certain
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chest — of your body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — a box
  18. snap — to click
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. file — a tool

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