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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 water is too ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. track — a song
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bore — to tire
  19. track — a path
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — of the year
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bound — tied together
  24. suit — to fit

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