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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · date · arm · straw · spell · last · game · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. shower — rain
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — wild animals
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — magic
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — a match
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — letters
  21. last — to go on
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bound — certain

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