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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spell — letters
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bound — obliged
  23. spell — magic
  24. racket — for tennis

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