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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — a stone
  5. race — humankind
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pop — to visit
  13. clip — a video
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. race — a contest
  22. wake — a trail
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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