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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — a partner
  6. object — a thing
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bound — certain
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. board — to get on
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — ministers

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