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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: season · bound · chest · mark · fan · rule · arm · sharp

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rule — a law
  9. sharp — clever
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — in sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rule — government
  19. chest — a box
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — of the year
  24. rule — to rule out

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