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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bound — certain
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to sink
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chair — a leader
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. firm — a company
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. firm — steady
  23. tear — to rip
  24. firm — decided

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