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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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. suit — to fit
  4. key — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. key — for a lock
  7. suit — clothes
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. present — there
  22. prune — to trim
  23. present — the time now
  24. rash — a series

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