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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. march — the month
  3. pop — soda
  4. net — for catching
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — music
  8. march — music
  9. object — to protest
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cue — a hint
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — to visit
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cue — for pool
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. track — a path
  20. bat — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. object — an aim
  23. net — after costs
  24. cue — a signal

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