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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pop — soda
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. drill — a practice
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. craft — boats
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. track — to keep track

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