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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wake — a trail
  3. land — ground
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bound — obliged
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bound — certain
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — a country
  16. mate — to breed
  17. land — to come down
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mate — a friend
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bound — tied together

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