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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 water is too ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stand — to bear
  14. bound — tied together
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — of water
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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