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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bat — for baseball

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