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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pop — to visit
  5. firm — steady
  6. pop — music
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — a price
  9. pop — soda
  10. bound — certain
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. firm — a company
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — in control
  18. firm — decided
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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