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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. last — final
  4. pop — soda
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spell — letters
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pop — music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — finally
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — to come down
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — an injury

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