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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitch — completely
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — an injury

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