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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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. net — for catching
  4. rest — what's left
  5. net — after costs
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rest — a break
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — to keep track
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. track — a path
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. net — in sport
  24. present — a gift

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