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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mate — a partner
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — army training
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. track — a song
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — soda
  15. mate — a friend
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — a tool
  21. track — a path
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lash — to lash out

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