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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bound — certain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — tied together
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. roll — a list
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — obliged
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. roll — a cake
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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