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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. wind — moving air
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. spell — letters
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — low music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — for pool
  17. suit — in cards
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. suit — clothes
  23. prune — to trim
  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