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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. game — a match
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. game — wild animals
  17. last — final
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. last — finally
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wound — an injury

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