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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rock — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. file — a document
  10. bound — obliged
  11. ball — a dance
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bound — tied together
  16. deal — to handle
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — soda
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — certain
  24. file — a line of people

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