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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. object — to protest
  14. rock — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — certain
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. present — there

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