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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ball — a dance
  5. shower — rain
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pop — music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. content — the amount
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mark — a trace
  24. shower — to wash

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