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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bound — obliged
  5. last — to go on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spring — the season
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — tied together
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. track — a song
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bound — certain
  24. can — to be able to

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