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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — in football
  3. shower — rain
  4. firm — decided
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — to grow
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. firm — a company
  24. capital — a city

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