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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — a phone
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spell — letters
  7. pop — soda
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. suit — to fit
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — of the year
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — in sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. cell — in biology
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — music

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