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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bound — obliged

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