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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — to visit
  3. band — a music group
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. foot — a measure
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — thin
  14. bound — certain
  15. pop — music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cell — a phone
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — soda
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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