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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cell — a phone
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — certain
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — army training
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bound — obliged
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — rain
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rock — music

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