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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — help
  3. file — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. file — a line of people
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hand — in cards

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