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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kick — in football
  5. fine — all right
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. track — a song
  24. bound — certain

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