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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — the season
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kick — in football
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hide — animal skin

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