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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mate — a friend
  6. drill — army training
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cue — a hint
  9. race — the arms race
  10. land — to come down
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. land — ground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a signal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mate — to breed
  17. race — a contest
  18. cue — for pool
  19. land — a country
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — the tool

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