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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a document
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pit — a hole

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