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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — soda
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — the season
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rock — music

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