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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bear — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — the time now
  18. content — happy
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — there
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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