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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — a short time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. row — a line
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pop — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — a break
  21. row — to paddle
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — letters
  24. pop — to visit

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