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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · pitcher · bound · lean · ball · plane · row · capital

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — to paddle
  9. capital — money
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — thin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chest — a box
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. capital — a city
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — a line
  21. chest — of your body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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