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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fine — all right
  6. dip — to sink
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — certain
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bound — tied together
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — a sauce

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