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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a line
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. suit — clothes
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — a grade
  22. suit — to fit
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. date — the fruit

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