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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. race — humankind
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — magic
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — a break
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mouse — the animal

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