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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — of the year
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. club — a group
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — tied together
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. shower — rain
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. season — in sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. club — for dancing
  24. sharp — exactly

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