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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chest — a box
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. game — wild animals
  24. straw — dry grass

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