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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. scale — in music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — for golf
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. scale — size or range
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pop — music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — a group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. scale — for weighing

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