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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — clever
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — a break
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. cue — a signal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cue — for pool
  24. straw — a straw man

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