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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. root — of a word
  5. object — an aim
  6. root — the cause
  7. spell — magic
  8. object — to protest
  9. season — in sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. squash — to crush
  12. season — of the year
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. object — a thing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. season — to add flavour

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