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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pop — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pop — soda
  13. spell — a short time
  14. shower — rain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — a container
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. board — to get on

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