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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bat — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bulb — for light
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. kick — in football
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bulb — of a plant

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