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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 120 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 stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — tied together
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — in sport
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — certain
  11. ball — a great time
  12. season — of the year
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a dance
  15. current — electric
  16. firm — steady
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. firm — decided
  20. cell — in biology
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bat — the animal

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