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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. last — final
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — low music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rock — music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — finally

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