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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. 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. wound — an injury
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — of water
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. game — a match
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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