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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — certain
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of a king
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bound — obliged
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. bound — tied together
  23. snap — to click
  24. court — for sport

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