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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — to push
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. press — a publisher

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