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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bound — tied together
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spring — a coil

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