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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. sharp — clever
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — a position
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lie — to recline

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