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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — final
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. last — to go on
  10. spell — a short time
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — finally
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — a video
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. wound — an injury

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