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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. kick — in football
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. field — farmland
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — a subject
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — for digging
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. snap — to click

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