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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — to bear
  9. spell — magic
  10. hand — help
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spell — a short time

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