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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bound — obliged
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bound — certain
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cap — a hat
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. board — to get on
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. board — a committee
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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