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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. present — there
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — to wash
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — tied together
  16. object — a thing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a ring
  19. present — the time now
  20. shower — rain
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pop — music
  23. object — to protest
  24. present — a gift

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