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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. track — a song
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. swing — music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — high quality
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — in music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. swing — to play on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wake — a trail

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