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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pit — a hole
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a match
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pop — music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. kick — in football
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit

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