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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — help
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bound — certain
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bark — to shout
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mark — a grade

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