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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. land — ground
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — a break
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rest — what's left
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chest — a box
  20. land — a country
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rush — hurry

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