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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 120 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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rest — what's left
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — a break
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — a path
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — a song
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fork — in a road

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