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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — magic
  6. object — an aim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a word
  14. march — the month
  15. root — the cause
  16. rest — a break
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — music
  20. root — of a plant
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. object — a thing

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