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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — soda
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. file — a document
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. present — there
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pop — music
  20. present — a gift
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mouse — the animal

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