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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — certain
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. face — to point toward
  6. file — a document
  7. present — the time now
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bound — tied together
  10. present — there
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. object — an aim
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — a gift
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. file — a tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — to protest
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. face — to confront
  24. mark — a trace

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