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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wake — a trail
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — in football
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — a box
  7. last — final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spell — magic
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rock — music
  22. last — finally
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rock — a stone

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