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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — to confront
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rash — a series
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rash — hasty
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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