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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mark — a grade
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. sharp — clever
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mark — a trace
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pound — a weight

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