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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — magic
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — electric
  8. fine — high quality
  9. press — to push
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. court — for sport
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — a publisher
  19. current — happening now
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fine — all right
  23. current — of water
  24. court — of law

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