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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pop — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pit — in a race
  7. field — for sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stand — to bear
  12. saw — the tool
  13. object — an aim
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — soda
  18. field — a subject
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. field — farmland
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. saw — the tool
  24. object — to protest

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