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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cell — a phone
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pound — a weight
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rock — a stone
  22. season — of the year
  23. rock — music
  24. season — in sport

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