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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. press — to push
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. staff — a stick
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — of water
  20. press — a publisher
  21. kid — child
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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