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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. present — a gift
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. present — the time now
  12. content — the amount
  13. present — there
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. band — a ring
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — happy
  21. face — to point toward
  22. drill — army training
  23. hand — in cards
  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