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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pop — music
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — child
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. band — a ring
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a music group
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pop — soda

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