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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bat — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. craft — boats
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bound — tied together
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. swing — to play on
  13. game — a match
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. swing — music
  17. drill — army training
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — obliged
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. drill — a practice

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