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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pop — music
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pop — soda
  6. march — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pop — to visit
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to click
  13. toast — bread
  14. track — a path
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. saw — the tool

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