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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — in a race
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pop — soda
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. last — finally
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. scale — in music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. date — the fruit
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — the sport

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