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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — of water
  6. pop — soda
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bound — tied together
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. spring — a coil
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — obliged

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