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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fall — the season
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — a path
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bound — certain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cell — in biology
  19. deal — to handle
  20. track — a song
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stand — on your feet

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