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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 116 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. charge — in control
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. season — in sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — to rob
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a face
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — rain
  20. charge — a price
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bat — the animal

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