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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bound — tied together
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — happening now
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bat — the animal
  10. current — of water
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. land — a country
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — electric
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a song
  24. wound — an injury

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