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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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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: bound · fine · temple · fork · wind · snap · foot · game

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wind — moving air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a match
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bound — tied together
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bound — certain
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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