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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rest — what's left
  5. can — to be able to
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. charge — a price
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rest — what's left
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — a break
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spring — of water
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. charge — in control
  22. bound — certain
  23. chest — a box
  24. fine — high quality

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