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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — tied together
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. face — to confront
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pit — a hole
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to point toward
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fall — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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