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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spell — letters
  4. suit — to fit
  5. last — final
  6. suit — clothes
  7. spell — a short time
  8. firm — steady
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bass — low music
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. firm — decided
  14. game — a match
  15. firm — a company
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bass — the fish
  18. last — finally
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. face — to confront
  23. spell — magic
  24. face — to point toward

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