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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — child
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — magic
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wake — before a funeral

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