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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. board — a committee
  8. kick — in football
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. fork — in a road
  19. board — to get on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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