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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 your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bound — obliged
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fine — all right
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — temperature
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — high quality

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