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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: suit · chest · pitcher · wound · fan · bound · mark · fine

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — tied together
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. chest — a box
  20. fine — all right
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — certain

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