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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to click
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fine — all right
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. field — farmland
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. sharp — with an edge

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