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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — certain
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — obliged
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — final
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — a thrill

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