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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bound — certain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — the season
  24. bat — in an idiom

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