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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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. clip — to cut
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — a match
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — thin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lean — to bend
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. clip — a video
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. ball — a round shape

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