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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bound — tied together
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bound — certain
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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