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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rock — a stone
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rock — music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cell — in biology
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rush — to hurry

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