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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — magic
  10. race — humankind
  11. spell — a short time
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. race — a contest
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spell — letters
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. season — in sport
  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