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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a path
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — a position
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mine — for digging

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