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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. content — happy
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. content — the amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mark — a grade
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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