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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. rash — a series
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. roll — a list
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bound — obliged
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. patient — a sick person

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