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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rest — a break
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — in biology
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — happening now
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — belonging to me

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