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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. can — a tin
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — shares
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — to be able to
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. club — for golf
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kick — in football

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