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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — army training
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — an aim
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. court — of law
  14. object — to protest
  15. drill — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. object — a thing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. court — for sport
  24. bound — obliged

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