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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 looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — a song
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — to tire
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. staff — employees
  21. rock — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — an injury
  24. track — to keep track

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