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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pop — soda
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pop — music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. pop — to visit
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. bound — certain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bound — obliged
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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