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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — high quality
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. game — a match
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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