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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bound — obliged
  3. band — a music group
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. swing — music
  6. present — there
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. court — of a king
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. present — a gift
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. court — of law
  24. nail — for a hammer

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