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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · rash · wound · bore · track · scale · bat · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — high quality
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — a song
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fine — all right
  19. track — a path
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — for weighing

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