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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — to play on
  5. date — the fruit
  6. present — there
  7. mug — a face
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — certain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. swing — in golf
  14. present — the time now
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. present — a gift
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. swing — music

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