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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rule — a law
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rule — government
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rash — a series
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fall — the season
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a hat

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