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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — a break
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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