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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. court — of law
  10. race — humankind
  11. court — for sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. perch — the fish
  16. band — a music group
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. race — the arms race
  19. game — a match
  20. court — of a king
  21. bound — certain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — tied together
  24. race — a contest

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