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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — the season
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — certain
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — an injury

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