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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — soda
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — a video
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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