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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stock — shares
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — finally
  9. stock — goods
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — final
  14. lean — thin
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a ring
  18. bound — tied together
  19. last — to go on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. swing — music

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