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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 120 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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a document
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chest — a box
  9. spring — of water
  10. mark — a trace
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — obliged
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — in sport
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bound — tied together
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. file — a tool
  24. bowl — a dish

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