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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spring — of water
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. file — a document
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. kick — in football
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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