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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bound — obliged
  3. object — to protest
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bound — certain
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. file — a document
  10. pass — a permit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — for money
  13. object — a thing
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. object — an aim
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. nail — for a hammer

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