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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — a position
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — the earth
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. roll — a list
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — a lid
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. roll — a cake
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — a container

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