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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. cue — a hint
  3. firm — a company
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. firm — steady
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. firm — decided
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bound — tied together
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — in music

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