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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. pop — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. scale — in music
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  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