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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. last — final
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. last — to go on
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. wake — a trail

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