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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. race — humankind
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hand — help
  20. saw — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. hand — part of the body

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