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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. track — a song
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bound — tied together
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. lean — thin
  18. pop — soda
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lean — to bend
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. object — to protest
  23. track — a path
  24. pop — music

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