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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. object — to protest
  3. game — a match
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — the month
  20. object — an aim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bound — tied together
  23. object — a thing
  24. tear — from crying

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