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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. field — farmland
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — child
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — for sport
  12. track — a song
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — for a lock
  17. track — a path
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — a subject

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