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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mate — a friend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bound — obliged
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. hand — help
  11. season — in sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — a partner
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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