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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — all right
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — rain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — high quality
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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