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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — in music
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — size or range
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — in music

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