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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — temperature
  4. track — a path
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — hurry
  9. field — a subject
  10. season — of the year
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — for sport
  15. degree — from a university
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. track — a song

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