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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. march — music
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — farmland
  5. march — the month
  6. field — a subject
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — for sport
  15. rest — a break
  16. cap — of ice
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bound — certain
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — a lid

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