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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — a law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spell — letters
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — government
  23. wound — an injury
  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