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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — a match
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a music group
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bound — obliged
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cue — for pool
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — tied together

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