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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — obliged
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. firm — decided
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. firm — steady
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pit — a hole
  16. band — a music group
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pit — in a race

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