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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. file — a tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — the arms race
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fork — in a road
  24. date — on the calendar

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