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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. last — final
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cap — a lid
  7. branch — a division
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. last — finally
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — a series
  21. foot — a measure
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitch — completely

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