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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — in biology
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. craft — a skill
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. field — farmland
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. craft — boats
  16. field — a subject
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tube — a container
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — a phone

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