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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — in cards
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — help
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — for catching
  12. track — a path
  13. object — a thing
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. season — of the year
  17. object — to protest
  18. swing — to play on
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — an illness
  21. track — a song
  22. object — an aim
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hand — part of the body

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