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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — letters
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — a video
  17. spell — magic
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chest — of your body

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