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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. race — the arms race
  5. court — for sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. race — a contest
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — of a king
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. band — a music group
  24. kick — a thrill

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