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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — a position
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ground — crushed
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — certain

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