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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. court — of a king
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — tied together
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — for sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. bound — certain
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bass — low music
  24. toast — bread

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