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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. board — to get on
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bound — certain
  20. cold — an illness
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. game — a match

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