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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — help
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — to confront
  15. shower — to wash
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stand — to bear
  18. game — a match
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. game — a kind of play
  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