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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 116 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. current — electric
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — happening now
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fall — to drop
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — for betting
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — of water
  24. prune — to trim

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