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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rock — a stone
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a great time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fine — all right
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. race — humankind
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — to wash
  20. race — the arms race
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — a contest
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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