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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — child
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — in sport
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. face — to confront
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mark — a trace

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