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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. 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. fan — a supporter
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pop — soda
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — government
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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