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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — letters
  9. firm — a company
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. firm — steady
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. firm — decided
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spell — magic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — to confront
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. game — wild animals

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