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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lean — thin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a line
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — to paddle
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. court — for sport
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of law
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. hand — in cards
  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