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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pop — music
  12. march — music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. plane — a tool

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