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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — a law

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