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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — clever
  4. object — an aim
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — a thing
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — a song
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fine — all right
  21. bank — of a river
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. kid — child

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