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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. board — a committee
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. board — to get on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to tire
  24. squash — to crush

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