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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — a coil
  5. current — of water
  6. key — in music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a match
  12. net — in sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — for a lock
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. key — the most important part
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. bear — the animal

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