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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — a list
  4. fork — in a road
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a face
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — child
  17. mug — a cup
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spell — a short time
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. roll — a cake
  24. field — for sport

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