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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — a path
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. file — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — for golf
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. track — a song
  12. file — a document
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. chip — to eat
  19. hand — help
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a line of people

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