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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 124 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pop — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. band — a ring
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. net — for catching
  10. plane — a tool
  11. band — a music group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — an injury

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