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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — happy
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to click
  12. content — the amount
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — rain
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — tied together

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