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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. court — of law
  3. land — ground
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — tied together
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. shower — to wash
  13. spell — letters
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — to come down
  16. bound — obliged
  17. court — of a king
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — rain
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — for sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. land — a country

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