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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — for betting
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — a short time
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — to eat
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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