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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rule — government
  8. bound — certain
  9. object — an aim
  10. court — of a king
  11. cold — not warm
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pop — soda
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. object — a thing
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pop — music
  20. rule — a law
  21. court — of law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. object — to protest
  24. mine — for digging

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