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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. band — a ring
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chip — to eat
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cold — an illness
  16. spell — letters
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chair — a leader
  24. spell — a short time

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