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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. deal — to handle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. club — for golf
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. snap — to click
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bound — certain
  20. club — for dancing
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bound — tied together

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