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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. drill — army training
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — for betting
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. club — for dancing
  18. drill — a practice
  19. club — a group
  20. chip — to eat
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. tube — a container

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