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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — farmland
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — of a king
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. court — of law
  20. field — a subject
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bound — certain
  23. wake — a trail
  24. chair — a leader

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