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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bound — certain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bound — obliged
  7. face — to confront
  8. object — an aim
  9. club — a group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. club — for golf
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. object — to protest
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cold — not warm

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