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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — a country
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — a position
  13. track — a path
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. content — happy
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — crushed
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — the amount

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