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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the fish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. court — for sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — of law
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. date — on the calendar

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