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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. track — to keep track
  7. roll — a list
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. track — a path
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a song
  19. fine — all right
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fine — high quality

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