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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mate — a partner
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chip — in a computer

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