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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — the season
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — the fruit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cold — not warm
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bulb — for light

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