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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. toast — bread
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tube — the underground

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