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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — government
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. present — a gift
  8. squash — the sport
  9. key — in music
  10. present — there
  11. wound — an injury
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — the time now
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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