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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — certain
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pop — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — soda
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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