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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. shower — rain
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — a face
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — to wash
  8. season — of the year
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. mug — a cup
  12. season — in sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — of a king
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. suit — clothes

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