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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 one o'clock ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. spell — magic
  15. pop — to visit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — rain
  19. roll — a cake
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. roll — a list

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