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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — finally
  5. wound — an injury
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — soda
  8. toast — bread
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pop — to visit
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a ring
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. band — a music group
  19. last — final
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. board — a committee
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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