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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. suit — clothes
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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