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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. last — finally
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. capital — a city
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. capital — money

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