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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. shower — rain
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — happening now
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a match
  12. fine — all right
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — of water
  21. fine — high quality
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — electric

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