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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — a line
  5. bound — obliged
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — for sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rest — a break
  14. dip — to sink
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. field — a subject

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