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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: rush · arm · land · sharp · hide · jam · bound · club

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. land — ground
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — to come down
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — a group
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. club — for dancing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bound — certain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — a country

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