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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.

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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. firm — steady
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — a hole
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. firm — a company
  15. ball — a dance
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chip — to eat
  19. march — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chip — for betting
  23. firm — decided
  24. pit — in a race

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