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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rule — a law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — to breed
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. file — a document
  16. pop — to visit
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mate — a partner
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rule — government
  22. pop — music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mate — a friend

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