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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a list
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. field — farmland
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mug — a face
  24. roll — a cake

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