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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mug — a cup
  6. track — a path
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. track — a song
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mug — a face
  15. hand — help
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — side of the head

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