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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. board — to get on
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pop — soda
  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