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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. firm — steady
  3. kick — in football
  4. firm — decided
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. land — a country
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. swing — to play on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. firm — a company
  16. staff — employees
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. date — the fruit
  24. swing — music

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