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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: lean · hide · lie · bound · chest · hand · swing · rule

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rule — government
  9. hand — help
  10. bound — certain
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chest — a box
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — of your body

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