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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pit — a hole
  20. date — the fruit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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