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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. land — to come down
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — a country
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pass — to succeed
  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