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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fall — the season
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fall — to drop
  9. present — there
  10. face — to point toward
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — an injury
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wound — an injury
  16. present — the time now
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fine — all right
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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