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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bat — the animal
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. object — a thing
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — certain
  14. object — to protest
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — rain
  18. mine — an explosive

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