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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — soda
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. craft — boats
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pop — music
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — to visit
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cold — the Cold War

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