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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — happy
  6. field — for sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bound — tied together
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. date — the fruit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. object — to protest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — a subject
  18. bass — low music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. object — a thing
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. object — an aim
  23. content — the amount
  24. field — farmland

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