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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the fish
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — a position
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bound — certain
  12. ground — the earth
  13. charge — a price
  14. bass — low music
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — in control
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — crushed
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. coach — a trainer

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