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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — certain
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mug — a face
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — music
  24. wake — a trail

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