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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — a song
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — soda
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. track — a path
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pop — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — a friend

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