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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bound — certain
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bound — tied together
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — an aim
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — a thing
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. object — to protest
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — for sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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