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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fine — all right
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. fine — a penalty

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