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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — in sport
  4. pass — a permit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — the sport
  15. date — the fruit
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. ground — a position
  23. bound — certain
  24. squash — to crush

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