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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. game — a match
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — a path
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — the animal

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