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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — crushed
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — a break
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ground — a position
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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