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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. pop — soda
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — for tennis

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