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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. march — music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — tied together
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to click
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — wild animals
  13. march — the month
  14. object — an aim
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. game — a match
  17. bound — certain
  18. object — a thing

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