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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wound — an injury
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — magic
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. clip — a video

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