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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fine — all right
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. court — of a king
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rash — hasty
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wound — an injury

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