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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — certain
  3. club — a group
  4. pop — music
  5. object — to protest
  6. snap — to click
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. season — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — of the year
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. object — an aim
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fall — the season
  22. club — for golf
  23. fall — to drop
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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