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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — tied together
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rash — a series
  9. squash — the sport
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — the month
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rock — a stone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — an amount

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