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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. object — an aim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. object — to protest
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. object — a thing
  20. drill — a practice
  21. cold — not warm
  22. drill — army training
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hand — help

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