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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. last — final
  3. firm — steady
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a path
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. firm — decided
  14. key — in music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — for a lock
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — music
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a song
  22. march — the month
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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