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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. row — a line
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bound — tied together
  12. tube — a container
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bound — certain
  15. last — final
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pit — in a race

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