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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — to bear
  3. race — the arms race
  4. object — a thing
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — tied together
  9. swing — music
  10. object — an aim
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — to protest
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. race — a contest
  16. court — of law
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. court — for sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. race — humankind
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — help
  24. bound — certain

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