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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · game · wound · fall · mark · jam

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ 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. game — wild animals
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — in football
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fall — the season
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mark — a trace

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