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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. can — a tin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a leader
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — certain
  24. bat — for baseball

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