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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — rain
  3. bound — certain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — in sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. land — ground
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mug — to rob
  17. net — after costs
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rush — hurry

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