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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spring — the season
  4. chest — a box
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — obliged
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. rule — government
  10. bound — certain
  11. spring — of water
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a ring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chest — of your body

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