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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — to confront
  11. drill — the tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. drill — army training
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. game — a match

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