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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — to wash
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pop — soda
  7. club — a group
  8. hand — in cards
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — bread
  13. shower — rain
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. club — for golf
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — help
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bore — to tire

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