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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — music
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. track — to keep track
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — a song
  17. field — a subject
  18. swing — in golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. prune — to trim
  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