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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. charge — a price
  6. rule — government
  7. shower — to wash
  8. squash — the sport
  9. shower — rain
  10. kick — in football
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rule — a law
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. charge — in control
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — with a leg

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