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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — a practice
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. field — farmland
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. club — for dancing
  16. drill — army training
  17. bound — certain
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. bound — tied together

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