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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. spell — letters
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — a tin
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — a tin
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. spell — magic

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