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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a friend
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. game — a match
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. snap — to click
  20. bound — tied together
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bound — obliged

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