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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — crushed
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bound — certain
  13. tear — from crying
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bound — obliged
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — soda

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