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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — certain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — a break
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. field — a subject
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. game — a match
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rest — what's left
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. field — for sport
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. field — farmland
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. staff — employees

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