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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bound — certain
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — tied together
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. band — a music group
  13. season — in sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ground — a position
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. band — a ring
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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