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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: snap · net · bound · ruler · straw · spell · scale · squash

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spell — letters
  3. scale — in music
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bound — tied together
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. snap — to click
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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