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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — certain
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — for sport
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. field — a subject
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pound — a weight
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. band — a music group
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. arm — part of the body

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