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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — obliged
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fine — high quality
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lean — thin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bound — tied together
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ruler — for measuring

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