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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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Word bank
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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: bulb · date · present · cold · pass · squash · mate · bound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bound — tied together
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. date — the fruit
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. present — a gift
  19. mate — to breed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — to crush
  23. present — there
  24. bound — certain

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