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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — a country
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — a path
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. track — to keep track
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mug — a cup
  21. roll — a list
  22. chair — a leader
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — a song

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