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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cold — an illness
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — certain
  10. sharp — clever
  11. clip — a video
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. band — a music group
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — not warm
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bank — of a river

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