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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — finally
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — to go on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — a box
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. firm — a company
  18. hand — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — final
  21. hand — help
  22. firm — steady
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bound — certain

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