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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — certain
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. swing — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rock — a stone
  24. swing — to play on

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