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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. track — a path
  8. snap — to click
  9. rest — what's left
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. track — a song
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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