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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — a permit
  3. court — of a king
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — high quality
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fall — the season
  11. spell — letters
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — of law
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. suit — to fit
  21. spell — magic
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. suit — clothes
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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