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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. track — a path
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cell — in biology
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — farmland
  14. deal — to handle
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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