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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bound — certain
  19. game — a match
  20. rush — hurry
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bound — tied together
  24. sharp — clever

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