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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — there
  3. game — a match
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. game — wild animals
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. present — the time now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — to crush
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — the sport
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — a gift
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. sharp — clever
  24. patient — a sick person

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