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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — certain
  8. bat — the animal
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spell — letters
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a great time

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