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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. scale — size or range
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — farmland
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. field — for sport
  20. bass — the fish
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — dry grass
  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