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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pop — soda
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bound — tied together
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — certain
  9. kick — in football
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pop — music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — the tool

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