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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bound — tied together
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. trunk — of a tree

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