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

Word bank: rest · sharp · wound · bound · club · pitch · spell · bear

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — obliged
  5. sharp — clever
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. club — a group
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — letters

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