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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pop — soda
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — an amount
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — the season
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. degree — temperature
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — of water
  24. degree — from a university

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