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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — to sink
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — a phone

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