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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of law
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — certain
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. fall — the season
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — to handle
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mate — a partner

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