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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bound — certain
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — a country
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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