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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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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — in music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — to go on
  5. key — for a lock
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kid — child
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kid — to tease
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — finally
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. court — of a king
  19. pop — soda
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. last — final
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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