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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. present — there
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. present — a gift
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rock — music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bark — of a tree

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