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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: chest · sharp · suit · season · pop · mate · bore · bound

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bound — certain
  4. chest — of your body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pop — soda
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mate — a friend
  14. season — of the year
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chest — a box
  17. suit — in cards
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pop — music
  21. suit — to fit
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — to tire

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