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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: ruler · chip · plane · bound · swing · cold · ball · wound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. swing — music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. chip — to eat
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — certain
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bound — obliged

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