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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — a line
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. field — farmland
  14. stand — to bear
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — tied together
  17. field — for sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. row — to paddle
  24. field — a subject

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