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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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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: lash · cell · pitch · wound · bound · wake · temple · game

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — a trail
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cell — in biology
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bound — certain
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. game — a match
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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