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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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. net — for catching
  8. chest — of your body
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — a path
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. wound — an injury

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