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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a song
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — a break
  10. mate — a friend
  11. plane — a tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — to keep track
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. track — a path
  18. mate — a partner
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. court — for sport
  21. mate — to breed
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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