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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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. kick — in football
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. scale — size or range
  12. key — the most important part
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — for a lock
  24. kid — child

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