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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — for dancing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. club — a group
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cold — an illness
  24. plane — a tool

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