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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — obliged
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — a cup
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mug — a face
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mug — to rob
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — the animal

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