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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — a group
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — obliged
  5. club — for dancing
  6. swing — music
  7. staff — a stick
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. club — for golf
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spring — the season
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. 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