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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · wound · date · fine · ground · bound · mug · perch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — wild animals
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ground — a position
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — the earth

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