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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. cue — a signal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — soda
  11. fork — in a road
  12. spell — letters
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cue — for pool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. suit — clothes

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