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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — the month
  6. club — for golf
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — certain
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. club — a group
  12. last — final
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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