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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bound — obliged
  13. spring — the season
  14. hand — help
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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