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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — the earth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ground — a position
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. march — the month

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