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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · deal · kid · pop · staff · present · file · wound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. pop — soda
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wound — an injury
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mark — a grade
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. present — a gift
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — a stick

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