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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spring — the season
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. march — the month
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a path
  13. pound — a weight
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — of water
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. march — music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. track — to keep track

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