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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — a series
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tube — a container
  17. content — the amount
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rash — hasty
  24. shower — rain

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