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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — to drop
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. deal — to handle
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. present — the time now
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fall — the season
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spell — magic
  20. bound — tied together
  21. present — a gift
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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