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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pop — music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. last — final
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — finally
  19. capital — money
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — soda

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