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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — a hole
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bound — obliged
  5. charge — a price
  6. stand — to bear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. bound — certain
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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