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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. march — the month
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rock — a stone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. tube — the underground
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — soda
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pop — music
  16. march — music
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — child
  19. track — a path
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — a container

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