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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mate — to breed
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ball — a round shape

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