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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. court — of law
  6. bound — certain
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — a position
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — of a king
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lie — an untruth
  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