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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — a country
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — ground
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — a trail
  13. track — a path
  14. hand — help
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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