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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.

Make a worksheet

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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a match
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal

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