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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: chest · racket · row · fall · saw · pound · foot · bound

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. row — to paddle
  8. foot — a measure
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chest — a box
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bound — tied together
  24. racket — a loud noise

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