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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. land — ground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a song
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. track — a path
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — a country
  18. tube — a container
  19. charge — in control
  20. mate — to breed
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bound — certain
  24. fork — a garden tool

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