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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. spring — of water
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — certain
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. spring — the season
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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