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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. roll — a list
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — all right
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wound — an injury

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