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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — to keep track
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — all right
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — a song
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. field — farmland
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. staff — employees

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