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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. track — a song
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — a path
  10. row — a line
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. game — a match
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — to confront
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — letters
  21. face — to point toward
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. track — to keep track

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