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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — to confront
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. face — to point toward
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. key — the most important part
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. tear — to rip
  24. mark — a trace

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