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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — to get on
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rule — a law
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fall — the season
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rule — government
  24. hide — animal skin

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