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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — a price
  3. pop — soda
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. track — a path
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — 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