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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — soda
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. toast — bread
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kid — to tease
  12. last — final
  13. row — a line
  14. suit — in cards
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kid — child
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wake — a trail
  24. ball — a round shape

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