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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. toast — bread
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. race — humankind
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bound — tied together
  8. march — the month
  9. race — the arms race
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — a contest
  13. can — to be able to
  14. march — music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. can — a tin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a leader

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