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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mate — to breed
  6. march — the month
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — clothes
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bore — to drill
  15. file — a document
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a friend
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bore — gave birth

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