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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. net — in sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — rain
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to confront

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