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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — a song
  3. suit — clothes
  4. land — to come down
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — electric
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. land — ground
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — of water
  20. land — a country
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. track — a path
  24. mate — a friend

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