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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — not warm
  5. present — the time now
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — to eat
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — there
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — a gift
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. scale — in music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chip — for betting

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