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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bound — obliged
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — child
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — certain
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. drill — a practice
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — army training
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. drill — the tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. current — happening now

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