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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. race — humankind
  20. fork — in a road
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fall — the season
  23. plane — a tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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