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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. net — for catching
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — to come down
  7. cap — of ice
  8. land — ground
  9. game — a match
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — certain
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cap — a lid
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. game — wild animals
  20. land — a country
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bound — tied together
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — a hat

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