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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. current — happening now
  6. swing — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. tube — a container
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. current — of water
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — in a race
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — to play on

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