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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — not warm
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. face — to point toward
  9. scale — size or range
  10. board — a committee
  11. bound — tied together
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — certain
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bound — obliged
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. face — to confront

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