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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pop — music
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pop — soda
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fall — the season
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. board — to get on
  16. shower — rain
  17. bore — to tire
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bore — to drill

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