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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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