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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. ground — crushed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — a position
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rash — a series
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — music
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wind — moving air

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