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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. key — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitch — completely
  9. clip — to cut
  10. season — of the year
  11. spring — a coil
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spring — the season
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. clip — a video
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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