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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a path
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. cap — a hat

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