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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bound — tied together
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cap — a hat
  18. net — in sport
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bound — obliged

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