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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pop — music
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — a subject
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. field — for sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — a group
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — farmland
  19. club — for golf
  20. pop — to visit
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — from crying

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