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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — finally
  3. present — a gift
  4. roll — a list
  5. ground — the earth
  6. roll — a cake
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — of law
  9. last — to go on
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. ground — a position
  12. present — the time now
  13. court — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ground — crushed
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — there
  20. last — final
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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