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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mark — a grade
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in biology
  19. mark — a trace
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a skill
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — to keep secret

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