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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spring — of water
  4. cap — a lid
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — the season
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — a song
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pop — soda
  18. fine — all right
  19. pop — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. track — a path
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cap — of ice

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