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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pop — music
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — a position
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. file — a document

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