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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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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — bread
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. shower — rain
  9. tube — a container
  10. snap — to click
  11. tube — the underground
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wound — an injury
  15. board — a committee
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. shower — to wash
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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