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

Word bank: ground · wound · ruler · wind · fine · stick · hand · track

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — help
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — all right
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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