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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — low music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — a city
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. last — finally
  20. root — of a word
  21. last — final
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bass — the fish
  24. shower — rain

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