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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — an injury
  11. drill — army training
  12. tear — to rip
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. drill — a practice
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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