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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a match
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lean — to bend
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. shower — rain
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — a permit
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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