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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. land — to come down
  5. pop — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pop — soda
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — dry grass
  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