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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — tied together
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. track — to keep track
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a partner
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — magic
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — farmland
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — letters
  24. field — for sport

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