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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — certain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. march — music
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fork — in a road
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — the month
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to confront
  16. fall — the season
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — a list
  20. clip — a video
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. season — of the year
  24. clip — for paper

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