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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — government
  3. sharp — clever
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rash — a series
  6. track — a song
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. key — for a lock
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. key — in music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rule — a law
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rash — hasty

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