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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pitch — completely
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to tire
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bore — to drill
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. key — in music
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ball — a great time
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bore — gave birth

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