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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. band — a ring
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. staff — employees
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bound — tied together
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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