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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. track — a song
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rash — a series
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bass — low music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rash — hasty
  17. game — a match
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a path
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bore — to tire
  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