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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: mine · jam · bound · pitch · mug · object · chest · row

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mug — a face
  7. object — a thing
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a cup
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitch — completely
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. object — an aim
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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