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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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. field — farmland
  4. land — ground
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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