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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spell — magic
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chip — to eat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — certain
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. row — to paddle

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