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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. present — there
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — the time now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. present — a gift
  11. pop — soda
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. capital — money
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — the season

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