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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — to get on
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a committee
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a partner
  24. file — a tool

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