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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lean — thin
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a path
  20. rule — a law
  21. bound — tied together
  22. track — a song
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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