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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  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. bound — certain
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. race — humankind
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chest — a box
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bound — tied together
  10. sharp — clever
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. race — a contest
  23. safe — a strongbox
  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