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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — of law
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — for sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. court — of a king
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rock — a stone
  24. face — to confront

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