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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bound — certain
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — obliged
  6. firm — steady
  7. season — in sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spell — letters
  12. firm — a company
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cap — a lid
  15. firm — decided
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spell — magic
  23. row — a line
  24. cap — of ice

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