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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — of water
  5. pop — soda
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — rain
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stock — shares
  11. pop — to visit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stock — goods
  19. tear — to rip
  20. scale — in music
  21. current — happening now
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — a soup base

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