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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — for sport
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a match
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — of your body
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chest — a box
  24. bark — to shout

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