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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bound — certain
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. scale — in music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. file — a tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a document
  14. scale — size or range
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bound — tied together
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — obliged
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ruler — a monarch

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