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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bound — tied together
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — a stone
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. charge — a price
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. charge — in control
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bound — certain
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — money

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