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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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