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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — an injury
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stand — to bear
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fine — a penalty

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