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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — final
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pop — soda
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ground — crushed
  15. club — a group
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pop — to visit

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