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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bore — to drill
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cap — a hat
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — certain
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. row — a line
  20. wound — an injury
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bound — obliged

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