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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pop — soda
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mug — a face
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. roll — a cake
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a list
  21. wound — an injury
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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