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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bound — certain
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — rain
  17. face — to confront
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — tied together
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. face — to point toward

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