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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bat — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. lean — thin
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — rain
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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