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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — a contest
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — in sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. tube — the underground
  11. race — the arms race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — of the year

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