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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitch — completely
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — to breed
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. drill — army training
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. tube — the underground
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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