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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. snap — to click
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. calf — a young animal

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