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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — final
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — obliged
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — certain
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. deal — an agreement

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