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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. deal — to handle
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a path
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bore — to drill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — an agreement

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