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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — certain
  6. race — humankind
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bank — for money
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bank — of a river
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — the animal

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