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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — for digging
  4. spell — magic
  5. cue — for pool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fork — in a road
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spell — letters
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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