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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pop — music
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ball — a great time
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — to rip
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. tube — a container
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pit — a hole

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