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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — an illness
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — of a king
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. court — of law
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bound — tied together

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