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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. suit — in cards
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a match
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — a kind of play

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