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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stand — to bear
  3. dip — to sink
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. track — a path
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. track — a song
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a trace
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. track — to keep track
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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