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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — in football
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — not warm
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bound — certain
  24. fork — in a road

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