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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. foot — a measure
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spell — letters
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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