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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in biology
  8. last — final
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. last — finally
  15. object — an aim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. object — a thing
  18. bore — to drill
  19. object — to protest
  20. face — to confront
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — to point toward
  23. can — a tin
  24. face — part of the head

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