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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wake — a trail
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a great time
  24. racket — a loud noise

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