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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bound — certain
  11. mine — for digging
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a document
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. file — a tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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