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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bound — tied together
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — a match
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — certain
  24. 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