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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. charge — a price
  8. bound — obliged
  9. shower — rain
  10. file — a document
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. charge — in control
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — a country
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. charge — electricity
  24. rock — a stone

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