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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. charge — a price
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fall — the season
  17. field — farmland
  18. charge — in control
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. field — a subject
  24. mark — a trace

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