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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bound — tied together
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. firm — steady
  13. bore — to tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bound — certain
  16. degree — an amount
  17. firm — a company
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — to drill
  21. firm — decided
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — obliged

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