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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a city
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mouse — for a computer

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