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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — army training
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. squash — to crush
  8. drill — the tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — a song
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — to tease
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fine — all right
  16. track — to keep track
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — a practice

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