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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. field — farmland
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bound — tied together

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