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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. row — a line
  3. degree — an amount
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. object — to protest
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — to paddle
  10. object — an aim
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bound — obliged
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — the tool

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