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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · present · bound · stick · cabinet · cold · kick · pit

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. present — a gift
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. present — the time now
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pit — in a race
  14. present — there
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kick — in football
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pit — a hole
  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