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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pop — to visit
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — tied together
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. land — a country
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pop — music
  24. season — in sport

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