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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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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: firm · chest · stick · deal · cabinet · bound · mate · current

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. firm — decided
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — electric
  13. firm — steady
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. firm — a company
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chest — a box
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bound — certain
  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