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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 116 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bound — certain
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. cap — of ice

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