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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — to rip
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — music
  24. squash — to crush

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