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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. bound — certain
  3. firm — a company
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. squash — to crush
  11. firm — decided
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. firm — steady
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stand — to bear
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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