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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — a phone
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. suit — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. firm — decided
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. suit — clothes
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — for sport
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. suit — to fit

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