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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — in music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — side of the head

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