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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — there
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spring — of water
  7. degree — temperature
  8. present — the time now
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bound — obliged
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. present — a gift
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — a line
  24. bowl — a dish

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