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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — obliged
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pop — music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bound — certain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — to visit
  21. last — to go on
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pop — soda
  24. last — finally

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