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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rush — hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — a match
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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