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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — in control
  3. track — a path
  4. ball — a dance
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kick — in football
  15. shower — rain
  16. charge — a price
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — to wash

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