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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pop — music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — soda
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — for a lock
  12. board — a committee
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — in music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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