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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. prune — to trim
  3. content — the amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — completely
  6. swing — in golf
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — a law
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rule — government
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — happy

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