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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 116 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. track — to keep track
  10. march — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — clever
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — certain
  23. track — a path
  24. pass — to succeed

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