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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — a price
  6. drill — army training
  7. cold — not warm
  8. craft — boats
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spring — the season
  18. charge — in control
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. charge — electricity
  21. drill — the tool
  22. craft — a skill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wound — an injury

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