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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — in a road
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hide — to keep secret

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