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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — a box
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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