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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. present — there
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. present — the time now
  10. rest — a break
  11. present — a gift
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — soda
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pop — to visit
  22. band — a music group
  23. rash — a series
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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