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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cue — a signal
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a match
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ball — a dance
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rest — a break
  12. cue — a hint
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a great time
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — an injury

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