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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — an illness
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pop — soda
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. cap — of ice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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