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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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. firm — a company
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bass — low music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. firm — steady
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. firm — decided
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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