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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. board — a committee
  6. suit — to fit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of a king
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. court — for sport
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wound — an injury
  14. face — to confront
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. row — a line
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. face — to point toward
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of law
  22. board — to get on
  23. wake — a trail
  24. board — a flat piece

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