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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rush — hurry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bound — tied together
  13. row — a line
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pop — soda
  16. present — there
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. row — to paddle
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — certain
  24. present — a gift

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