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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pop — soda
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. swing — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. swing — to play on
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. scale — in music
  22. pop — music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. shower — rain

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