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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a song
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — an explosive

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