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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. court — of law
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chair — a leader
  12. drill — army training
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. game — a match
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chair — to sit on

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