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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. firm — decided
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. firm — a company
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wound — an injury
  19. firm — steady
  20. craft — boats
  21. bound — tied together
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bound — certain
  24. land — to come down

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