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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. band — a music group
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for dancing
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — a price
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a ring
  13. kid — child
  14. charge — in control
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bound — tied together
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. club — for golf
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. staff — a stick
  24. band — a rubber band

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