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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. toast — bread
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. race — humankind
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rock — music
  9. race — a contest
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pop — music
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bound — certain
  14. pop — soda
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bound — tied together
  18. race — the arms race

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