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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. track — to keep track
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a song
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a tool

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