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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.

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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. last — finally
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — to visit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — an injury

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