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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. track — a song
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. present — the time now
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — there
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  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