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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bound — certain
  8. scale — in music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — obliged
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pop — soda
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. scale — size or range

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