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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bass — low music
  9. pop — music
  10. track — a song
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — a path
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. suit — in cards
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bass — the fish

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