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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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Word bank
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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. game — a match
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. date — the fruit
  9. firm — steady
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. firm — decided
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — the season
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. firm — a company
  24. bound — obliged

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