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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cue — for pool
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cue — a signal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cue — a hint
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — a match

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