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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mate — to breed
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bound — tied together
  16. saw — the tool
  17. firm — steady
  18. net — for catching
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. firm — decided

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