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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — tied together
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a document
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — certain
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — the sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. degree — temperature

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