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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bat — the animal
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pop — music

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