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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: game · lash · mate · rock · stand · pop · wound · sharp

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — soda
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a match
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stand — on your feet

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