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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · wound · wave · track · firm · kick · last · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. last — finally
  3. firm — steady
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — a company
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — decided
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. kick — in football
  13. last — final
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — a song
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wave — of the sea

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