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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. key — in music
  6. land — ground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — for betting
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. land — to come down
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bark — to shout
  17. board — a committee
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — to get on
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chip — to eat
  24. board — a flat piece

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