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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — humankind
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — certain
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. race — the arms race
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. drill — the tool
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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