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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. object — an aim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mark — a trace
  11. object — a thing
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mark — a grade
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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