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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wound — an injury
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — the arms race
  7. snap — to click
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. race — humankind
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. roll — a cake
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. race — a contest

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