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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — certain
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. row — a line
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bound — obliged
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a face
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — to confront

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