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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — not warm
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — a match
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — a partner
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chair — a professorship

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