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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 120 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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cue — for pool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cue — a signal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fall — the season
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — certain
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — to wash
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cue — a hint

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