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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — a gift
  9. ground — the earth
  10. present — the time now
  11. ground — a position
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — a face
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rash — on the skin

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