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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 piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. present — the time now
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fine — all right
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. file — a document
  18. present — there
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — a gift
  22. file — a line of people
  23. key — for a lock
  24. file — a tool

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