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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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 — with a leg
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. court — of law
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — of a king
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. scale — in music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — for sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. arm — part of the body

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