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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — help
  5. content — happy
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. kick — in football
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. content — the amount
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kick — with a leg
  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