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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — soda
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fall — the season
  12. game — a match
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — from a university
  16. suit — to fit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spell — a short time
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — a kind of play

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