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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. track — a path
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pop — soda
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spell — magic
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pop — to visit
  23. track — a song
  24. toast — bread

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