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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. last — finally
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. suit — clothes
  14. march — music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. suit — in cards
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — to fit

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