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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — high quality
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. date — the fruit
  11. hand — help
  12. roll — a cake
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — to keep track
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fine — all right
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wound — an injury

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