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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: bound · bass · rush · stand · arm · chest · coach · key

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — a box
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. key — the most important part

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