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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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. dip — to sink
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — in music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — letters
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wound — an injury

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