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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. last — finally
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. game — a match
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pop — music
  18. last — final
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bound — certain
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pitcher — a jug

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