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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bound — certain
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — rain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kick — in football
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bound — obliged

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