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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — rain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — tied together
  19. firm — steady
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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