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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. present — there
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pop — soda
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ball — a great time
  12. present — the time now
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wound — an injury
  17. current — happening now
  18. present — a gift
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — of water
  23. shower — rain
  24. current — electric

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