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

Word bank: arm · swing · deal · chest · cell · hand · bound · saw

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bound — tied together
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cell — in biology
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — a box

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