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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bound — certain
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bowl — a dish

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