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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. court — of a king
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. degree — temperature
  13. craft — boats
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spring — the season
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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