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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ground — crushed
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — soda
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ground — a position
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — the earth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — to drop

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