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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 120 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 retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — a match
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spring — of water
  14. season — of the year
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — the season
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. swing — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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