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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. bound — certain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — help
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bound — tied together
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hand — part of the body
  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