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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. spell — magic
  5. wound — an injury
  6. land — ground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spell — letters
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. face — part of the head
  14. spell — a short time
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — to confront
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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