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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 120 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mark — a trace
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. spring — a coil

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