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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bound — tied together
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pass — a permit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — happy
  24. saw — the tool

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