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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — rain
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — a line
  19. rule — a law
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — part of the head
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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