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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — finally
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — in a road
  8. last — final
  9. bound — obliged
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. last — to go on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fall — to drop
  19. shower — to wash
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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