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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. perch — the fish
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — music
  13. present — there
  14. fork — in a road
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — a match
  18. present — a gift
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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