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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. degree — an amount
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. season — of the year
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pass — a permit
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bound — tied together
  24. season — in sport

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