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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 124 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — a face

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