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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — the season
  7. wound — an injury
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — bread
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. suit — clothes
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pop — music

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