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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. firm — a company
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. firm — decided
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bound — obliged
  20. firm — steady
  21. board — a committee
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cold — an illness

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