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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fall — the season
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mate — a friend
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — out of danger

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