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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rash — hasty

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