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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — in control
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — a hole
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. shower — to wash
  14. charge — a price
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — to push
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. shower — rain
  21. press — newspapers
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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