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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 · rash · suit · bound · object · hand · swing · dip

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. suit — to fit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. object — an aim
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chest — a box
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. dip — to sink

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