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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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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: face · season · pop · bound · sharp · fall · wound · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — tied together
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. suit — in cards
  12. face — part of the head
  13. suit — clothes
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — music
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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