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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — a trail
  3. capital — money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — a city
  15. firm — a company
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — of the year
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. firm — decided
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. capital — a big letter

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