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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. march — music
  3. swing — music
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a hole
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. staff — employees
  8. swing — in golf
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a document
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — tied together
  16. file — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — in a race

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