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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. swing — to play on
  3. march — the month
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. swing — music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. land — to come down
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — music
  11. current — electric
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — a country
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — ground

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