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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. current — electric
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — to visit
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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