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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — after costs
  3. bound — tied together
  4. firm — steady
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — a company
  19. bound — obliged
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. net — for catching
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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