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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bound — certain
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ball — a dance
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rock — to move gently

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