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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pop — soda
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — certain
  10. pop — to visit
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cap — a hat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — wild animals
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pop — music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. game — a kind of play
  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