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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. field — farmland
  7. wake — a trail
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bound — certain
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. file — a document
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — employees
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. field — for sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. ball — a great time

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