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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — the animal
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. toast — bread
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. spring — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — a coil

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