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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. cold — not warm
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — humankind
  12. rock — music
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — of the year
  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