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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. firm — decided
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. mark — a grade
  10. season — of the year
  11. firm — a company
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. firm — steady
  22. mark — a trace
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — belonging to me

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