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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. race — a contest
  3. band — a ring
  4. last — to go on
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bound — certain
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — to get on
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. race — humankind
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pit — a hole
  14. board — a committee
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — finally
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. court — of law
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. last — final
  24. bound — tied together

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