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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fall — to drop
  4. race — a contest
  5. bound — certain
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bound — obliged
  11. firm — a company
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. race — humankind
  15. firm — decided
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. shower — rain
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bound — tied together
  22. firm — steady
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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