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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. pop — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — certain
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bank — for money
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — in music
  15. season — of the year
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — after costs
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bank — for money
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — of a river
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a plant

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