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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rock — a stone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a song
  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