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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. file — a line of people
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — in music
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spell — a short time
  10. last — final
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spell — magic
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. file — a document
  18. last — finally
  19. cue — for pool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. perch — for a bird

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