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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — not warm
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. court — of a king
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — a face
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lean — to bend

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