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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — a series
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bound — certain
  14. rash — hasty
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — in music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — an injury

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