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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — music
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a tool
  14. snap — to click
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cap — a lid
  19. degree — an amount
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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