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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · bound · chair · arm · file · pass

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — to wash
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — a permit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — rain

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