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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — the sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — magic
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — completely
  22. firm — a company
  23. current — happening now
  24. spell — a short time

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