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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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468
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: mate · file · kick · rock · bear · mug · bound · chest

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mug — a face
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. file — a document
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bound — tied together

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