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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bank — for money
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — music
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bound — certain
  15. mate — a friend
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. scale — in music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. bank — for money
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — tied together

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