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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fine — high quality
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — to go on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — music
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to tire
  21. field — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. last — final

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