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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — a match
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a path
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a kind of play

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