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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rest — a break
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — not warm
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wound — an injury
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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