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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — certain
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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