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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. bound — tied together
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. land — to come down
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. deal — to handle
  16. band — a music group
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bound — obliged
  21. can — a tin
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — certain

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